Book of Shadows
by Yumeko1
Summary: After finding a book containing a very powerful spell, a young witch named Jenova is forced to hide at Hogwarts to keep Voldemort from gaining its power.
1. The Forbidden Book

The Forbidden Book

The color in the sky was fading out to a sort of peachy red in Amsterdam as the crowds began to filter out into the bars and clubs that lined the streets, and a young woman with black hair leaned out the window to survey them.

"The air out here smells SO good, Jen," she said, pulling her head back in the window and smiling at her companion, who was hunched over a small desk in the corner of the hotel room. "Let's go to a club. It's so much fun to watch the Muggles dance, and you might meet some cute guy or something."

"Mm, no…I'm still working on this page." The dark haired girl that she had called Jen was intently studying the yellowed pages of a leather-bound book, just as she had been doing for the last three days. "I can't seem to conjugate this particle properly. I'm not even sure it's a whole word."

"Jenova!" The black haired girl sat on the bed with annoyance. "You haven't moved from that desk since you got that bloody book, and you can't live much longer eating that stale carrot cake. Will you at least agree to go out with me somewhere and eat?" She bounced up and down on the bed, and Jenova looked up at her with no small amount of irritation.

"Sera, I don't want to go out. I've almost got six full pages of this finished, and even working on them in random order, I'm fairly certain that what we have here is the book I've been searching for. Until I'm sure, I can't leave this book alone." Bending her head back over the book, she pushed a strand of her dark brown hair out of her eyes. "I know it's in here somewhere…"

"What is wrong with you? You used to love taking snack breaks and laughing at people trying to dance. Now all you care about is that stupid book…"

"It is _not_ a stupid book!" Jenova stood up from the desk so fast that she knocked the chair backwards onto the floor. Her brown eyes flashed dangerously at her friend, and Serafina's eyes widened. "If all you want to do is play around, then go back to London and sit behind your desk for the rest of your life and pretend that none of this is happening!" As soon as she said it, she knew something was wrong and covered her face with her hands. "Oh my God…was that really me?"

"I told you, you're too stressed out." Standing up, Serafina put an arm around Jenova's shoulders with a smile. "I know this is important to you, but you're being too serious about the whole thing."

"Dammit, Serafina, you know as well as I do what would happen if the Death Eaters were to get a hold of this book and it were the one." Flexing her fingers, she shook her head. "I know it's the one. I can't afford to let it out of my hands."

"You also can't afford to kill yourself over it. I'm sure that your mother wouldn't have wanted that." Jenova was silenced by this, but only for a moment as she looked back up at her friend. 

"You're right. I know you're right. Will it make you happy if I go and get some dinner with you?" Serafina nodded in reply, and Jenova smiled as best she could. "All right. Just let me put this book somewhere and we can go." Jenova headed for the bathroom, where she had been hiding the book for the last three days and closed the door.

Absently, she set the book down on the counter as she leaned toward the mirror and gazed at her reflection. To look at her right now, she didn't resemble most people's idea of a witch in her jeans and black v-necked shirt, but this simple appearance quite effectively hid the fact that she was fairly powerful. Her long, dark brown hair was laced with deep red highlights and tied back in a thick braid that fell past her shoulders, tiny flyaway strands floating free around her cheeks. Everything looked in order with the exception of the dark purple circles under her eyes, which stood out against her pale skin like bruises.

Serafina was right; she hadn't been sleeping much in the last few days since she got the book, and it seemed like the only thing on her mind was finding out its secrets and delivering it to Albus Dumbledore, one of the only wizards she had been able to find that shared her concern over the book.

Looking down at her hands, Jenova studied the silver and garnet ring that wound itself around the middle finger of her right hand. It had been her mother's ring long before it ever found its way onto Jenova's desk, and she could still remember playing with it when she was a little girl. A little girl playing with Serafina out on the lawn of their old home, being swung around by her father, one of the Ministry's finest Aurors. Even the memory was starting to become blurry.

Jenova pushed the thoughts back as she reached around and unbraided her hair, then proceeded to brush it out carefully. Perhaps she should just stop trying to translate it and take it to Dumbledore right now, so it would be safe. It would be nice to get back to a magical community and get out of these Muggle clothes. She didn't mind wearing them every now and then, but it was a bit like wearing a mask on Hallowe'en…you wouldn't want to wear it all the time.

With a charm, she rebraided her hair and splashed a little water on her face, Summoning a hand towel to dry herself off before looking around the bathroom for a hiding place for the book. She didn't want to hide it in the same place twice, just in case someone was watching her.

A quiet thump outside the door froze Jenova to the bathroom rug, and she reached for the doorknob slowly, wondering if she should call out to Serafina, to make sure she was all right. Something told her that it wasn't a good idea, though, and she pulled her hand back as quickly as she had put it forward.

The hotel room outside was silent now, an obvious indication that something was very wrong, and Jenova knelt beside the keyhole. Using a simple charm, she widened it just enough so she could peek out into the room. Her body was overcome by a wave of nausea as she surveyed the scene that lay just beyond the door.

Two figures in hooded black robes were moving through the room, searching through the desk and dresser drawers as they came closer to the bathroom. Between the twin beds Serafina lay on the floor, one arm outstretched toward her friend as if she wanted help, but from the accusing blank look in her glassy eyes, Jenova knew that it was too late to help her.

Turning away from the keyhole, Jenova tried to think of what she was supposed to do now. She pulled the book down from the counter and hugged it to her chest as she leaned on the wall. No matter how much she wanted to go to Serafina, she had to get out of the room. Already the Death Eaters were heading for her hiding place, and she squeezed her eyes shut as she Disapparated from the bathroom.

_I'm so sorry, Sera._

When she reappeared on the street, Jenova didn't waste a moment looking back at the hotel. She ran as hard as she could away down the street, the book held tightly in one hand. This wasn't going to help anything…she had to figure out where she could go, or they would get the book for sure.

There was only one place to go, she told herself as she squeezed herself into an alleyway to cut across the crowded square. She would have to get to Hogwarts.

* * *

The envelope had a Muggle stamp on it and hadn't arrived by owl, so it didn't take a genius to figure out what was in the envelope or who it was from. The only question left in Jenova's mind was what to do now that she had it.

As soon as she had discovered that the book existed, she had alerted the Ministry of Magic in the hopes they would be able to get to it before the Death Eaters, but much to her dismay they had denied any knowledge whatsoever of Voldemort's re-emergence and returned all her owls unopened. A few days later, however, she had been contacted by a man called Arthur Weasley, who worked in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Department. He wrote that he believed her story and that she should contact Albus Dumbledore as fast as she could.

Dumbledore had been just as concerned as Jenova and had charged her with the important task of finding the book and making sure it was safely delivered to him at Hogwarts, the wizarding school at which he was the headmaster. Jenova had not attended Hogwarts, however, she had been a student at the Greymalkin Academy in Switzerland when she was a child, so she had no idea where the school was. His latest letter had said that if she needed, he would be happy to send someone to get the book, but she was waiting for this Muggle letter to decide whether or not to take him up on the offer.

Jenova worked as head translator for one of the leading wizard publishing companies in London, and although she loved her job dearly, it was rarely a source of excitement. So when this book had come to her attention, hidden away in the stacks of a Muggle bookshop, she had hoped that maybe this was meant to be her small way of fighting against the Death Eaters.

"Miss Kestrel?" One of the office aides Apparated in front of her desk, and she put down the envelope. "This just arrived by owl for you." He was holding a large envelope with a slight bulge in the center.

"Mm, thank you. Just leave in on my desk." The aide did as she requested and Jenova reached over to pick it up with a slight frown. She wasn't expecting a parcel.

Carefully, exercising as much caution as she knew how, Jenova opened the parcel and upended it on her blotter. All at once, her stomach began creeping up into her throat as something small and round fell out onto the blotter and bounced once. Picking it up, she discovered that her feeling of nausea was well warranted, as the thing which had fallen out was her mother's silver and garnet ring. Jenova stared at it for a long moment as if it were a snake about to strike, then picked up the parchment with shaking hands.

As soon as she unfolded it, her stomach stopped creeping upward and dropped to the floor. In bold black ink at the top of the parchment was the icon that every wizard knew to fear…the Dark Mark. Underneath it, there was a short message written in heavy block letters.

_Turn over the book and perhaps no one else will be harmed._

The shaking had spread from Jenova's fingers to her whole body as she picked up the ring, understanding now what it meant. This was the ring her father had given to her mother when they were engaged. She would never have taken it off…not unless…

Very slowly, Jenova opened the Muggle letter and examined the photo that was enclosed. Putting aside the Muggle letter, she picked up some ink and parchment and began composing as she held back a scream of tears.

I will pick up the book and deliver it to Hogwarts personally. Please don't try and contact me. I will be in touch.

She sealed the letter with her maroon wax and stood up behind her desk, preparing to head to the Owl Post Office and mail it. Before she did, she reached over and picked up her mother's ring, sliding it onto her middle finger slowly as she tried to blot out the image that crawled to the front of her mind. She wouldn't let them get the book. Not ever.

* * *

It was dark now, even darker since she had turned down another dark alley, and she was running out of options.

Unfamiliar with the Muggle streets and unsure how to get to Hogwarts from here, Jenova had managed to step in a water-filled hole and twist her ankle, making her regret ever wearing these Muggle shoes instead of transfiguring them into her usual boots. So now she was wet, disoriented and in extreme pain as she limped away from the men who were now trailing her as easily as hounds with a scent.

The pain was starting to make her dizzy as she looked around for a place to hide. If she could just figure out where she was, maybe she could Apparate to London and figure out where to go from there. It was the only solution she could see, and started making her way toward the noise and lights of the night clubs.

"Hello, Jenova." The voice seemed to come from the corners around her and she paused for a split second, trying to figure out where to go. In that instant, a figure in a black robe and white, faceless mask Apparated behind her and slipped an arm around her throat. She pushed forward in a feeble attempt to escape, but a soft voice near her ear stopped her.

"Don't struggle," the man said, his breath hot on her skin, and she fell back against him, defeated and shivering.

Two more hooded men Apparated in front of her, and she was sure she could see the taller of them leering at her behind the mask. Through a haze, she could feel a hand reach under her shirt and pull the book free of her waistband.

"S-stop," she groaned softly, trying to pull away again.

"Shut her up," the man in front of her said absently as he began to flip through the book, and the man who had his arm around Jenova's neck tightened his grip as he put a hand over her mouth. Something cold and hard was hidden in his hand, and it pressed against the corner of her mouth, suddenly making her aware that it was a glass bottle. "This is the book," the Death Eater said, looking up at his colleague. "Kill her."

"Leave her to me." The two in front of her Disapparated and the one who maintained a firm grip on her revealed what was in his hand. It was a tiny bottle filled with a blue-green liquid, and he pushed the cork off without releasing her, then forced the contents of it into her mouth as she tried weakly to struggle. The liquid was cold and bitter as it flooded over her tongue and an incredible heaviness settled almost immediately on her chest.

_Poison_, she thought as she began to black out, losing feeling in her extremities first and falling forward toward the ground. The Death Eater reached out to catch her and she tried to push him away, catching the sleeve of his robe with her hand and tearing it.

The last thing she saw before she lost consciousness was the image of the Dark Mark burned into his left forearm, and her eyes closed slowly.

__

…Death Eaters…


	2. The Ancient Runes Master

The Ancient Runes Master

Something smelled odd, a sort of medicinal smell that Jenova couldn't help but associate with hospitals, even though she hadn't been in many over the course of her life. She opened her eyes slowly, trying to remember how she could have gotten herself into a hospital. The last thing she remembered was…

"I see you're awake at last," a voice tinged with a hint of Scottish accent said, and Jenova rolled over to see two men and a woman walking toward her. The woman who had spoken was slender, with reddish hair pulled back in a tight bun and a pair of spectacles perched on the end of her nose. "We were beginning to become concerned."

"Where is this place?" Jenova looked up at the woman, who turned to a much taller man with a long, flowing silver beard and hair to match. "Wait a minute…you're Albus Dumbledore, aren't you? I saw a picture of you after you wrote me the letter, and…" He held up a hand, effectively silencing her.

"You are correct, Jenova. And to answer your question, you are at Hogwarts. This is our hospital wing, and you have been attended by the most capable Madame Poppy Pomfrey." Dumbledore motioned to a woman with a kind but somehow strict looking face, who managed a smile. "This is Professor Minerva McGonagall, the deputy headmistress and Transfiguration master at this school. She will be most happy to discuss your options with you."

"My…options?" Rubbing her head, Jenova tried to sit up. "I'm afraid I don't understand." There was a sharp pain in her ankle as she moved her leg, and she winced. "What options?"

"Well, we can't just leave you on your own out there," McGonagall said, shaking her head as she spoke. "At the moment you are believed to be dead, but if it was to be discovered that you were not, I'm afraid you would be in quite a bit of danger."

"I guess you're right." Looking up at the other man, who was dressed entirely in black and had been silent and unsmiling through the whole of the short conversation, she gave him only a cursory glance before turning back to Dumbledore. "Before you go, can I ask how I got here?"

"Oh yes, of course." Motioning to the man in black who looked as if he was most unamused, Dumbledore smiled a bit. "Allow me to introduce you to Severus Snape, our Potions master. It was he who brought you here after your unfortunate run-in with Lord Voldemort's colleagues." Jenova looked back up at Snape, whose arms were folded tightly across his chest. His eyes were extremely dark and made Jenova a little nervous as he fixed them on her.

"I…I see. Thank you."

"Very well," Dumbledore said with a small nod. "Severus and I have some business to attend to, so you will pardon us for the time being. Minerva, please inform Jenova of everything she needs to know."

"Certainly, Albus. Now, about what is to become of you," McGonagall said, sitting on a chair that she summoned from across the room as the men walked out of the hospital wing. "I hear that you are something of an expert in several of the ancient magical languages. That's something of a stroke of luck for us, you see, because due to certain circumstances our Ancient Runes master has had to leave the school." She looked up over her spectacles at Jenova. "Would you be interested in taking that position?"

"Me? Teach?" She looked at the older woman curiously. "I…well, I suppose it couldn't be too bad. And I do know quite a bit about Runes and runic structure." Jenova nodded thoughtfully. "Suppose I agree, then what?"

"A practical mind, I see. Albus is more than willing to pay you a reasonable salary that includes room and board here at Hogwarts. You will have an office and a classroom of your own as well as a room in the faculty tower. Some of your things were also brought here, and they are located in that cabinet right over there." She pointed nonchalantly to a tall wooden cabinet, and Jenova nodded.

"My clothes?"

"I'm afraid not. It's a very small bag."

"Oh." Deciding that she was lucky to have a change of underwear at least, Jenova chose not to pursue the point. "Well, then…I suppose I have no choice. It would seem that you now have yourself a new Runes master."

"I'm quite happy to hear it," McGonagall said, handing her a leather portfolio. "Now, there is another small matter. Two, actually. Since you will be, in effect, in hiding here at Hogwarts, we must request that you do not use your real name. Your middle name will suffice as a new surname and you will go by the name of Professor Jenova Verdana. Only Albus, Severus and myself will be aware of your true identity as a safety precaution. Also, it would be much safer for you if you did not leave the castle or grounds unaccompanied by another faculty or staff member. I hope you will find this arrangement satisfactory for the time being."

"I don't exactly have a choice, do I?" Jenova resented being spoken to like a child, but tried her best to keep her annoyance out of her voice. "All right then, when can I move into my own room?"

"Poppy is requesting that you remain here in the hospital wing another night, just so we can be sure that your ankle is healing properly. Tomorrow, however, you can feel free to do whatever you wish. The students will not arrive at Hogwarts for another few days, so there is plenty of time for you to become acquainted with the castle." Standing up, McGonagall removed her glasses and smiled at Jenova. "We are quite pleased to have you with us, Jenova. Please feel free to come to any of us with your questions."

"Thank you, Minerva." Jenova watched her walk away, then leaned her head back on the iron headboard and felt it cut into the back of her neck. So this was Hogwarts. It didn't look anything like she had pictured it.

"Miss Verdana, would you like to take a bath?" Madame Pomfrey was standing beside her bed now, looking over her like some sort of wimpled hawk. "I need to check the progress your ankle is making."

"Sure, whatever." Jenova pulled back the covers and let the nurse examine her ankle, which was wrapped in a long white bandage. "Was it broken?" Shaking her head, Madame Pomfrey began to unwrap her ankle.

"No, only a sprain. But soft tissue trauma can be much more difficult to heal than mending a broken bone, even with magic," she said, turning Jenova's ankle around gently. "Does that still hurt?"

"A little."

"Hm. Well, it should be completely mended by tomorrow morning at the latest." Helping Jenova out of the bed, she smiled. "And I have never had a patient whose recovery was not aided by a hot bath." Carefully, she helped Jenova toward the small bathroom that was attached to the hospital wing and began to fill the tub. "Good for the muscles…and it'll help you sleep. Although how you'll do that after all that rest is completely beyond me."

"Thank you. Can you put my bag on my bed, please?" Unbuttoning the nightgown that had been put on her at some point, she blinked at Madame Pomfrey. "Um…are you going to stand there and watch me bathe?"

"Oh, don't be silly. You've nothing I haven't seen before." She folded her arms as Jenova finished undressing, then helped her into the hot water. "For goodness sake, you girls can be so silly sometimes." Gathering up the clothes, she shook her head. "Call for me when you're ready to get out and I'll bring you a clean gown."

"Thanks." Waiting for Madame Pomfrey to leave the room, Jenova leaned back and put her head on the edge of the tub. This was definitely an interesting turn of events. She had intended to come here, of course, but not under these circumstances. And she had intended to have Sera with her when she…

Sera. From the way she had seen her laying on the floor of their hotel room, she could only surmise that her friend was dead, but she had chosen to be in denial for the time being. Unless someone could tell her for sure that Sera was dead, then she wasn't going to believe it. However, her very nature wouldn't allow her to simply pretend that Sera was out there alive, but there was no one she could ask about it.

Closing her eyes, she thought about Dumbledore. He had been every bit as kind and warm as she had imagined from his letters, and it was kind of him to offer her a job and a place to hide. McGonagall, on the other hand, reminded her a great deal of a professor she had studied under at Greymalkin Academy. She wondered if McGonagall was as strict as her former teacher as well. On the other hand, that Snape…he just made her nervous. It was bad enough when people didn't make eye contact, but it was even worse when people just stared you down like that.

Jenova sat up in the tub, causing a miniature tidal wave to rush across the tub. Snape had brought her here to the castle…who was to say he didn't know about Sera as well? The very thought of talking to him almost put her off the quest for knowledge, but she gnawed on her lower lip as she thought about it. Which was worse?

* * *

The hospital wing was dark and silent when Jenova opened her eyes later that night, and she looked around the room. Madame Pomfrey was already asleep but, true to her prediction, Jenova was unable to sleep due to the long nap she had taken earlier and wondered if anyone else was awake.

Careful not to make a sound, Jenova slipped out of bed and tested out her ankle. It was still a little wobbly, but not nearly as painful as it had been earlier, and she picked up the dressing gown Madame Pomfrey had brought her that afternoon, cinching the belt around her waist before moving slowly to the door and sneaking out into the hallway.

The school was much bigger than she had expected, and Jenova found herself looking in awe at all of the pictures and sconces that filled the walls. So this was to be her new home for a while. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad.

She came to a door made of dark wood and pushed it open, wondering where this would lead. Not surprisingly, it was a staircase that led down into the dungeons, and Jenova smiled. This was where her classroom was supposed to be, right? Maybe she could take a quick look inside and figure out how to decorate it.

Much to her dismay, there was only one large classroom at the end of the hall and from the cauldrons in the corner and the cabinet full of dried herbs she could only surmise that it was the Potions classroom. Taking a deep breath, she smiled. When she was a student, her favorite and best class had always been Potions. This really took her back. Back to Greymalkin where she and Sera had been in the same house. Where they had studied Care of Magical Creatures together and tried to make Glamour Potions.

Turning away, Jenova walked quickly back out of the classroom and into the hall, tears stinging the lids of her eyes. She had no desire to remember any of that right now. The last thing she needed was to get all emotional.

As she hurried down toward the staircase, she noticed a door that was set into the wall near the classroom and frowned. It looked like there was a light coming from underneath the door, and she wondered if someone else was awake. It suddenly dawned on her that this was probably Snape's office and that it was most likely he who was in there doing…what?

Jenova knocked lightly on the door, halfway hoping that the noise was too soft for Snape to hear, but an irritated voice from within told her otherwise.

"Come in."

"Um…hello." Poking her head into the door, she tried to smile. Snape looked up for a moment, then turned his attention back to something he was writing. "I saw your light and wondered who else might be awake." There was no response, and she tried again. "Thank you for bringing me here."

"It's my job," he said crisply, not looking up.

"Yes, well…I was wondering if you knew anything about my friend Serafina. She was in the hotel room with me, and I thought maybe since you found me that you might have…" Jenova's voice trailed off as the man across from her finally stopped writing for a moment. "…found her too?"

"Yes. I'm sorry."

"Oh." It wasn't exactly how she wanted to have found out about it, but she supposed she had asked for it. Uncomfortable now, her eyes began searching his office slowly. There were a great many jars filled with liquid in which strange and interesting things were suspended, and lots of books. "Mind if I look at your books?"

There was no answer from Snape, who continued to write, and Jenova limped slowly over to the shelves and scanned the books. It was cold in his office even without his icy disposition, making Jenova want to turn and leave as fast as she could, but it seemed like it would have been a little rude. Continuing her search of the books on the shelves, she was pleasantly surprised when her eyes made contact with some highly unusual characters.

"The Talcryllian Processes? I've never seen a copy of this outside of a library! And I know that not many people bother learning to read Talcryl, so I'm assuming that if you have the book you can read it too." Pulling it carefully off the shelf, she shifted the cumbersome book in her arms and opened it. "Oh, this is fascinating. I mean, most of these theories were discredited in the 1600's, but their reverse distillation process is still one of the most…" Jenova looked up to see Snape glaring at her with narrowed eyes and the rest of her sentence ended in a long string of mumbling. 

"Do you want to borrow it?" Sounding as if it was taking a massive effort just to speak to her, Snape glanced at the book in her hands. "Be my guest."

"Thank you," Jenova said uncertainly, holding the book to her chest. "I'll return it when I'm up and around tomorrow." She tried again to smile at him, but he had already turned his attention back to his papers. 

"Take your time."

"Um…all right." Jenova limped toward the door slowly, holding fast to the precious book. She had almost made it out into the hallway when Snape's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"If you're really interested in the Talcryllian Reverse Distillation Process, I suggest you begin on page 583."

"Oh. Th-thank you." Hurrying the rest of the way out the door and up the stairs to the hospital wing, Jenova tightened her fingers around the ancient volume. She couldn't decide if that had been a good experience or a bad one.


	3. A Minor Variation

A Minor Variation

_Where am I?_ Jenova looked around the room nervously. It was dark and cold, but she didn't recognize anything, and the only thing she could see was a table at the far end of a great hall.

Something brushed against her face and she reached up to feel that she was wearing some sort of a hood. Looking down, Jenova discovered that her entire body was covered in a thick black robe and a shiver went down her spine. She pushed back the hood so she could see better.

_Jenova…_

A voice beckoned her toward the table and she started slowly toward it, realizing as she walked that her boots made no sound on the stone floor. In fact, she thought, the only sound she could hear was a low humming, as if some huge piece of machinery was idling nearby. It was almost as if she had gone deaf.

As she approached, the empty seats along the rectangular table began to fill with other people, all of whom were wearing black robes, and all of whose faces were hidden behind smooth white masks. There were two empty seats at the table, and Jenova somehow understood that one of these seats was meant for her. The one at the head of the table, however, was meant to remain empty. She knew this too. Somehow.

Slowly, she moved to the empty seat and pulled out the chair. The featureless faces turned to look at her as Jenova sat down slowly. She was getting a strange feeling from the table, as if she knew one of these people. But where would she have met one of the Death Eaters?

The plates before them filled with food and the group began to eat in silence. They were waiting for something…but what? Again, she had the feeling that she already knew the answer to this question.

"Good evening, Jenova." A voice behind her made her turn and Jenova found herself face to face with the one who called himself Lord Voldemort. "We have been expecting you."

"Why am I here?" Chilled to the bone, Jenova forced herself to look him directly in the eye. "What do you want with me?"

"I believe you already know the answer to that." Voldemort sat in the empty chair at the head of the table and folded his hands over the plate. Only Jenova seemed to notice that he wasn't eating like the others.

"The book."

"Yes, the book. But it is so much more than that, Jenova…surely you know by now. The book contains great power, but that power must be unlocked by one who can solve its secret. You." His red eyes narrowed in her direction and Jenova looked down at her plate, which had not been touched. 

"If you're supposed to be so powerful, why not just translate it yourself?" Surprising herself with the force of her words, Jenova looked back up at him. There was something strange in the back of his fixed smile that she didn't like a bit.

"I could. But you have a gift, Jenova…a gift that would be most beneficial to us. That is why I asked you here…to consider joining us." The words seemed to ring in Jenova's ears, and she frowned as she shook her head.

"No."

"You would refuse me?"

"As many times as it takes to make you understand." The courage was coming from a place in herself that she didn't even know existed, and Voldemort gave her a look that was disconcerting to say the least.

"Jenova…" Voldemort's voice became softer, silkier, and the rest of the dinner guests suddenly disappeared from their places at the table. "I understand that you may harbor some…ill feelings toward us for past events, but surely you understand that certain circumstances necessitate such actions."

"I _understand_ that you have no regard for anyone other than yourself. Even your followers know that much. Now, if you will excuse me…" Jenova stood up and Voldemort stared at her coolly.

"Perhaps you do not comprehend the seriousness of the situation, Jenova. There is only one option for you. Join us, or meet the same end as your mother." A wave of his hand, and Jenova's mother's face appeared before her.

"This discussion is over," she said, turning away from the table and her mother's image. She wasn't going to allow him to manipulate her that easily.

"Yes, I'm afraid it is." With another wave of his hand, a shriek of pain traveled up Jenova's forearm, burning its way under her skin and into her nerves. Biting down on her lower lip to keep herself from screaming, Jenova pulled up the sleeve of her robe to see the Dark Mark staring up at her, its blank eyes burned into the layers of her skin.

"No…no…"

With a gasp, Jenova opened her eyes and looked around the room. Beads of sweat covered her forehead and ran down the sides of her face as she sat up and realized that she was in her room at Hogwarts. A strange, coppery taste filled her mouth and she reached up to discover that her lip was bleeding.

__

A dream…that's all it was…a horrible dream. Just to make sure, Jenova pulled up the sleeve of her nightgown and checked her arm. The phantom pain from the dream was still there, but there was no visible mark. _Nothing…nothing there_.

Shivering now despite the warmth of the room, Jenova pulled down her sleeve and looked at her surroundings. He knew she was alive. It wouldn't be long before he came for her, even here. Reaching down below the covers, she touched the round coin that was attached to a black cord around her ankle.

Yes. He'd be coming.

* * *

Putting her hands on her hips, Jenova looked around her classroom. It didn't look half bad, actually. She had used giant brass relief paintings of the ancient runes to decorate the walls and surrounded the rest of the place with a veritable library of books. The former teacher, Professor Cipher, hadn't done much with the room or its office, but Jenova felt that it needed some warmth.

There was a birdcage in the corner of the room and she looked over at it thoughtfully. A bird would be kind of nice. Homey.

Her eyes fell on the sleeve of her dress and she sighed. She was grateful to McGonagall for having it sent over from Hogsmeade, but it was so plain and the high neck wasn't really her style. What she needed was to go out and get her own set of clothes. Maybe then she would feel a little more like a human being.

Rooting around in her money pouch, Jenova was pleased to discover that she had enough money to buy herself a new dress at the very least, and maybe some boots as well. Her happiness lasted only as long as it took her to remember that she wasn't supposed to leave the school grounds unaccompanied and she leaned on her desk and sighed deeply. Maybe one of the other teachers would like to go out to Hogsmeade.

* * *

"Come on, Minerva, just for an hour…that's all I'm asking." Jenova followed McGonagall down the hall, trying to make her feel as sorry for her as she could. "I just need a dress…"

"You have a perfectly nice dress, and I have to get the things ready for tonight's Sorting Ceremony." She wasn't even looking up at Jenova as she continued to read something off a piece of parchment. "Is your classroom ready for tomorrow?"

"Never mind." Completely annoyed at the world now, Jenova turned and walked the other way down the hall and into her classroom. Why had she ever agreed to such a moronic rule in the first place? In a burst of childish rage, she kicked the leg of her desk as hard as she could. "Dammit!" As if responding to her anger, the contents of the desk jumped and rearranged themselves, leaving several things sliding dangerously close to the edge. Before she could catch them, most of the things went cascading onto the floor, causing her to curse loudly and kick the desk again. "DAMMIT!"

Kneeling down to pick up the books and papers, Jenova realized that one of them was the Talcryllian Processes book she had borrowed from Snape several days earlier. She picked it up again and began to flip through it slowly. Of course, there was always one person she hadn't asked, but…

_Look, you silly twit, do you want a new dress or don't you? It's as simple as that._

Clenching her teeth, Jenova carried the book down the stairs to the point of last resort. As usual, Snape's door was locked and she knocked gently.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Excuse me, Severus?" Pushing the door open, she smiled. Everything had been cleared off of his desk and there was a distillation setup covering the majority of it. "What are you working on?"

"The headmaster required some Dacon's Solution," Snape said, emptying a small tray of diced caterpillars into the cauldron that was simmering on his desk. "And what, may I ask, do you require?"

"Well…as you are aware…I-I'm not allowed to leave the castle without another faculty or staff member. I need to go down into Hogsmeade to get a dress for the Feast this evening, and I was wondering…"

"I'm sorry, but I'm quite busy," replied Snape without another look in her direction. "However, I'm sure that there are a great many other professors around this school that would be willing to go waste their time in the village." Snapping shut the book that was in front of him, he looked up at Jenova. "I, however, am not one of them."

"That's very well, but I have already asked all of them," Jenova said, starting to get annoyed. What was his problem, anyway? She hadn't wanted to admit to him that he was her last choice, but it seemed like it had just happened. "It's you or nothing."

"Then I'm afraid it will have to be nothing," came the answer as he turned his back on her. 

"Look, I'm not asking much, just…"

"Not another word," Snape said, holding up a hand to silence her. "Once this potion is through simmering, it will have to be distilled one and a half times so as you can imagine I can't leave it alone."

"I know how to prepare Dacon's Solution," Jenova said icily, folding her arms. "So I suppose I'll have to figure something out on my own." Slamming his book back down on an available table, she turned on her heel and stalked out. Just talking to him was putting her in a foul mood. "Oh and by the way," she said, turning to look at him one more time. "I think you'll find that if you half triple distill the solution, it will be much more accurate than just trying to halt the process when you think it might be done halfway through the second process." With that, she left and slammed his door.

"I think _not_," Snape replied to the closed door as he went back to setting up the distillation coil. With some annoyance, he stirred the potion one last time and looked back at the book before beginning the distillation process. Just for curiosity's sake, he checked the calculations she had suggested and narrowed his eyes. She was right. But that was impossible…the calculations she would have needed to perform were quite complex. How could she have made that determination so quickly?

* * *

"Severus?"

"What is it now, Minerva?"

"Have you, by any chance, seen Jenova? She needed to discuss her lesson plans with Albus before the term started but he wasn't available until just now." Her green eyes searched the room as if she thought Jenova might be hiding in some corner, and Snape shook his head as he watched the progress of his solution through the coil.

"Why are you asking me?"

"Because Argus Filch said he saw her come down here a while ago but I can't seem to find her anywhere in the castle or the dungeons." It was at exactly this moment that something clicked in the back of Snape's mind and he looked up. 

"I believe I might have some idea where she might be."

* * *

__

That stupid…Snape tried to control what was left of his temper as he stormed down the main street of Hogsmeade looking for Jenova. _I'm going to find her and then I'm going to kill her._ Every moment he spent searching for her he was becoming more and more angry with her, until he was starting to become worried about what he might do to her once he actually found her. 

He was so busy trying to maintain his composure that he didn't recognize the figure that was walking toward him. The oncoming witch didn't seem to see him either, and he was about to sidestep her when he suddenly realized who it was.

Wearing a black velvet gown with deep green piping around its pointed sleeves and squared neck beneath a richly embroidered green robe that made a soft rustling sound as she walked, Jenova hardly looked like the same person despite the fact that her dark hair was pulled back in a thick braid. She was fishing bits of spun sugar out of a Honeydukes bag and slipping them surreptitiously into her mouth as she looked into each of the windows of the stores.

"Jenova." Stepping directly into her path, Snape managed to keep his voice at a reasonable level as he looked at her. Much to his surprise, Jenova smiled.

"Oh, hello Severus." She took another bite of her candy and gave him an airy look. "Fancy seeing you here. I could have sworn you said you had things to do."

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" His words came out through clenched teeth as he hissed them in Jenova's direction, leaning closer to her. "Do you realize what kind of a risk you're taking?"

"Seeing as how no one was available to _chaperone_ me," Jenova said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice, "…I decided to come here by myself. I happen to be a grown woman, despite what you all think." She walked past him briskly, still smiling. "Let's see, pet store…"

"Damn it, Jenova," Snape growled, following almost on her heels. "You agreed to stay at the castle and follow the rules that were set to keep you safe. Now, it is time you stopped acting like a spoiled five year old child before it gets you killed." There was no answer to this from Jenova and Snape dug his fingers into the palms of his hands. "This is precisely the reason that you need some sort of supervision. If you want to get yourself killed, that is completely up to you. But don't think for a moment that you are going to be allowed to endanger the lives of everyone around you so that ---"

"Shut up."

"What?" Snape stopped in his tracks and Jenova turned to face him. "What did you say to me?"

"I said shut up. If the only reason you came down here was to lecture me then you can go right back to where you came from. I do not need this, especially from you." Her eyes were narrowed now, and Snape was becoming incensed.

"Apparently, you need to hear it from someone," he said, red patches beginning to appear on his cheeks as his voice crawled up a decibel. "It seems that your parents didn't bother to teach you that there are other people in the world besides you. Or any manners for that---" He was interrupted as Jenova's hand flashed out and grabbed the front of his robes, curling her fingers around the stiff black material tightly as his eyes glittered dangerously at her. "Take your hand---"

"Don't you dare speak to me like that. I am sick and tired of being spoken to and treated like I'm some sort of incompetent child by you and everyone else that thinks they're helping me. I don't care what you think, but I am not going to let myself be controlled by the fact that someone may or may not be coming after me." There was a fire in the back of her eyes that warned Snape that she was about to crack, and he kept his mouth shut for the moment. "And by the way, thank you for saving my life. But that doesn't give you the right to act like I'm some sort of insect that can be stepped on because you're too busy to _deal_ with me." She threw her handful of robes back at him and pushed past him on her way back up the street.

Staring after her, Snape was unable to think of anything to say. People didn't just…_no one_ spoke to him like that. For a long moment, he was caught between fury and a slight admiration for what she had just done before he hurried to catch up with her.

"What do you have left on your list?" His words seemed like a foreign language to her, and she frowned.

"What?"

"Look, will you just hurry up? I said I had a lot of work to do," he said, walking ahead of her as she quickened her step to catch up with him. "The half triple distillation should be done by the time we return."

"You're coming with me?" There was a note of suspicion in her voice as she looked over at him, and Snape remained silent. "Thanks, Severus."

"Just hurry up and get on with it." 

"I told you half triple distillation would work better."

"Must you keep talking?"


	4. The New Term

The New Term

The Great Hall was as beautiful as always, especially to Harry Potter, who had just spent the summer with his tiresome relatives, wishing for even the smallest glimpse of Hogwarts. But the beginning of August found him sitting at the Gryffindor table with Ron and Hermione, his two best friends, talking animatedly about what had happened to all of them over the holiday.

Hermione, to no one's surprise, had been made a prefect and was wearing her shiny silver badge proudly on her robes. It looked to Harry like it had been shined about a hundred times since they had arrived, but he decided not to tell her that.

Ron, on the other hand, had spent the majority of his summer listening outside of doors and sending as many owls as possible to Harry to keep him abreast of news from the Ministry, gleaned from conversations between his mother and father.

"So, it's like I was saying," Hermione said, rubbing her sleeve against her badge surreptitiously to give it a nice shine, "I think our best bet is to just sit tight and see what happens. I certainly can't afford to get into trouble now that I've been made a prefect."

"Great, another Percy," Ron grumbled as searched the table for food. It was there in front of him, but since the Sorting was just being finished it was untouchable until after the announcements. "Just when I got away from the original."

"Isn't he ever going to move out of the house?" Hermione frowned a bit, and Ginny shook her head morosely. 

"Not since he works at the Ministry with Dad. They _commute_ together." A pea flew in her general direction from the area of the twins, Fred and George, and she turned to them with annoyance. "Stop it!"

"Mum's not here to save you now, Ginny," Fred said menacingly, loading up his spoon with tasty vegetables, and Harry laughed as he took cover under a napkin, not caring how they had managed to get a hold of some of the food. Hermione looked as if she were torn between amusement and exasperation, but was saved from taking a stand as Dumbledore stood up at the High Table.

"Welcome to another year, everyone. In light of last year's incidents, I would ask every one of you to take care this year. Do not be fooled into thinking that just because you are here at Hogwarts that no harm can come to you. That kind of thinking can be very dangerous indeed.

"And now, I would like to introduce you to our two new professors. First, we have our new Defense Against the Dark Arts master, Professor Gold. Hopefully he will work out better than some of our previous teachers." Dumbledore paused long enough for the students' polite applause to subside, then motioned to Jenova, who was seated peacefully beside Snape. "And this delightful young woman is Professor Verdana, your Ancient Runes master. She will be taking over for Professor Cipher." More polite clapping as she waved to the room in general, then a cheer as the food blossomed onto their plates. "Happy feasting, everyone."

"What is it now?" Snape looked over at Jenova, who was pushing her potatoes around the plate thoughtfully. Following their scene in Hogsmeade, they had come to a sort of tentative understanding. Not quite friends, but definitely not enemies.

"I really don't want to be here. Can't I go up to my room?"

"Sorry, but no. I never want to be here." Snape turned his attention to his own plate and started on the turkey. Blinking down at her own food, she sighed.

"Is the turkey any good?"

"Passable."

"Ah."

"Did you see that?" Ron tugged on Harry's arm as he hissed into his friend's ear. "That new teacher, she's talking to Snape up there!"

"So?" Hermione rolled her eyes at him and Ron gave her an exasperated look.

"But it's _Snape_!"

"Well, why shouldn't she talk to him? They're both teachers. And he is a human being, isn't he?" She looked at Harry and Ron, who seemed to be taking a long time to formulate an answer.

"Barely," Harry said, glancing at Ron.

"Jury's still out on that one," he agreed.

"Well, either way I'm glad I took Ancient Runes." Hermione ignored them pointedly. "She looks nice."

"Looks can be deceiving," Ginny said, looking over at Hermione for encouragement, and Ron rolled one eye.

"Great. Another Hermione."

Before long, the Feast was drawing to a close, and the prefects were leading the stuffed residents of their respective houses when Harry noticed Snape and Jenova walking together toward the faculty tower behind most of the other professors. Stepping away from the group, Harry stopped near the stairway where they had paused, trying to catch a snippet of their conversation.

"…just don't feel well, Severus."

"Well, you're going to have to snap out of it by tomorrow morning. You're going to have a full class schedule starting early and if they're anything like the idiots I am constantly saddled with, you're going to need all your energy." His arms were folded over his chest as he looked at Jenova, and Harry could tell she was doing her best to smile at him.

"It can't be as bad as all that."

"Say that again tomorrow evening."

"Good night, Severus." Shaking her head, Jenova started up the stairs to the faculty tower, and Harry expected Snape to follow her up. Unfortunately, it seemed like the man never did anything you expected of him. He chose exactly that moment to turn around, just as Harry was trying to make his way quietly to the Gryffindor tower.

"Potter...I would advise you to make this explanation phenomenally good."

* * *

"I would like to say that I can't believe you got a detention your first night back, but somehow I can," Hermione said with a sigh. "Harry, you know better than to follow him around in plain sight."

"Could you spare me the lecture, please?" With undisguised annoyance, Harry looked over her head at Ron. "Don't you have your Ancient Runes class now?"

"As a matter of fact I do." Turning into a classroom, Hermione watched the boys walk rapidly away from her. "But I'll see you again in Potions!" There was no answer and she went to her usual seat.

As always, Hermione was early to class, the first to put her books down and pick up her pencil to start writing her note taking chart. She didn't see Jenova walk in, carrying a little bird cage.

"Oh, hello. Are you my entire first lesson?" Jenova's voice startled Hermione out of her little world and the girl shook her head.

"No, ma'am. I just like to be punctual."

"That's probably why you're a prefect," Jenova said cheerily, setting the bird cage on her desk. "Now, let's see…you are…"

"Hermione Granger," Hermione said, standing up and going over to her desk. "Are those your birds?" She leaned toward the two little birds, who were obviously having a long discussion about their surroundings.

"Yes, as a matter of fact they are. Two precious little lovebirds." Smiling, Jenova pointed at the smaller one, who was a combination of blue and white with a pastel peach forehead. "That one is called Piama and that one," she said, pointing at a second bird with a deep blue body and a white collar with a black head. "Is Valtier. Of course, they have a larger cage in my room, but I think they like to travel with me." Still smiling, she moved the cage to the corner of her desk and opened the door. "They're both just babies still, so they're imprinting on me."

"I've never seen birds like that…are they Muggle birds?" Other students were starting to file into the classroom and Jenova picked up the one she had called Valtier. 

"A Muggle breed, yes, but Wizard raised. Valtier is a blue Masked and Piama is a Dutch blue. They're not too uncommon." Valtier jumped up onto her shoulder and she smiled. "You'd better take your seat now, Miss Granger, class is about to begin."

"Yes, Professor."

Jenova waited for the rest of the classroom to sit down before putting Valtier in his cage and standing on the podium in front of them.

"Good morning, class." She folded her hands neatly in front of her waist. "I am Professor Jenova Verdana, and I am your new Ancient Runes master. Now, before I begin today's lesson, does anyone have any questions?" Immediately, several hands shot into the air, much to her surprise. "Well, I wasn't expecting that many…you there." She pointed to a girl in a Ravenclaw robe.

"Are you sure you're old enough to be a teacher?"

"Ahem. I also wasn't expecting personal questions. Next, please."

"Oh…I was going to ask where you graduated from, since I never saw you here at Hogwarts." The girl, a Hufflepuff, looked slightly disappointed and Jenova put her hands on her hips.

"I see where this is going. Very well. I will allot five minutes of class time for personal questions." Conjuring up an hourglass, she put it on her desk and turned it over. "Beginning now." Walking slowly down the rows of desks with her hands folded behind her back, she smiled. "To answer your previous questions, I am indeed old enough to be a teacher. It has been seven years since I graduated from Greymalkin Academy in Switzerland, and I'm sure all of you can do your basic math." Nodding to a girl in the corner, she cocked her head so that her braid slid off her shoulder. "Yes?"

"Was this your best class in school?"

"Actually, my best class was Potions." There was a unified grumble from around the room, and Jenova held back a laugh. "Now, now, what's wrong with Potions? True, it can be difficult, but that's what makes it fun, right?" The class sounded doubtful and Jenova glanced at her hourglass. "Moving along…we have time for one more question." Hermione raised her hand and Jenova nodded. "Yes, Miss Granger?"

"Do you speak any other languages?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. I speak, oh dear, what was it…65 different languages and can read over 100. Some are easier to understand than others, you see." The sand in the hourglass had run out and she smiled. "All right, that's that." Walking up to the board, she drew a rune that looked a lot like a pointy 'P.' 

"Now, let's see, you ended before with _wunjo_, which literally translates to something akin to joy or pleasure. It is especially good in bind runes for ensuring victory. It can be related to _Vindr_, or "Wind." As such _wynn_, or _vend_, can be visualized as a wind-vane, which shows "which direction the wind is blowing." _Wend_, also means to change the direction of something, to turn or to run with or against the wind. To change one situation into another, is another use of _wunjo_ both magically and in divination." She turned back around. "Now, please find me an example of the latter use in your textbooks." Leaving the students to their task, she sat on the edge of her desk and looked over at Valtier and Piama. This wasn't too bad. What was Snape talking about?

* * *

"I'm telling you, she was amazing…she sounded like she had been studying runes forever," Hermione said to Harry at the dinner table. "But you know what, she said her best class was Potions, can you believe that?"

"Maybe that's why they were talking," Ron said thoughtfully. "As much as I hate the guy, he knows what he's doing."

"Are you _still_ on that, Ron?" Hermione shook her head as she reached for the pitcher of pumpkin juice. Something jarred her roughly from behind and she hit the pitcher with the heel of her hand, knocking it across the table. Startled squeaks abounded as plates were whisked off the table to keep from getting damp and Hermione's face turned bright pink.

"My God, Granger, you seem to have gotten even less coordinated over the summer holidays," came the cool voice of Draco Malfoy over Hermione's shoulder, and Harry was not surprised to see that he was, as usual, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle, his two enormous sidekicks.

"You did that on purpose, Malfoy!" Surprising even himself by standing up from the table, plate still in hand, Neville Longbottom turned his round face in Malfoy's direction, trying his best to look as angry as possible.

"Glad you figured that one out on your own," Malfoy said, his words dripping sarcasm like honey droplets. "If this is the state that pure blood is getting into, it's no wonder everyone thinks Mudbloods like Granger are so great." There was a flash of orange, and for a moment Harry thought maybe someone had thrown the sweet potatoes. 

However, it was only the blurred color of Ron's hair as he leapt off the bench and onto Malfoy that Harry had seen, and at once he was running around the table to pull his friend off of the silvery-blonde haired head of Malfoy.

"Oh, for the love of…" Jenova's voice was the first one they heard, then the pattering of boots on marble as she ran toward the scene. "What is going _on_ here?"

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?" Snape's angry voice echoed Jenova's as he swooped up out of nowhere, hands on his hips. Reaching down, he picked up Malfoy by the collar and set him on his feet as Harry pulled Ron onto his feet. Both boys looked rumpled, but none the worse for wear.

"It was Malfoy," Harry began, looking at Jenova and taking a chance that she would be slightly fairer. "He pushed Hermione's…"

"I would advise you to remember that you already have one detention, Potter," Snape said dangerously, and Jenova frowned at him. "And it seems to me that judging from who is on top of the heap that Weasley will be joining him."

"It seems to _me_ that I'd like to hear the whole story before we go handing out any detentions," Jenova said firmly. "Now, Miss Granger…you are the nearest prefect, so please enlighten me."

"W-well, Professor Verdana…I was…"

"Pardon my _intrusion_," Snape said in a voice that clearly stated that everyone in a five foot radius was on thin ice as far as he was concerned. "But seeing as how Miss Granger is the _Gryffindor_ prefect, I don't feel she would be the most…_objective_ person to describe the altercation between Mister Malfoy and…Weasley." It was obvious that he was choosing his words carefully, which did not go unnoticed by Jenova.

"Then I think the best solution would be to take ten points from both houses for fighting," Jenova said. "And as I was the first on the scene, as it were, that is my final answer." As soon as she spoke, the hourglasses containing the colored sand that marked each House's points decreased a little in both Slytherin and Gryffindor's tube. "Now get back to eating, all of you." She watched as the parties went their separate ways, and was about to take her place at the High Table when she felt a light touch on her arm. 

"Could I have a word with you in the hallway, Jenova?"

"Of course, Severus." Following him out the doors into the hallway, Jenova folded her arms over her chest. "What seems to be the problem? It was more than obvious that both of those boys were involved. So why did it seem like you were trying your damnedest not to punish Mr. Malfoy?"

"Draco Malfoy happens to be one of my best students…"

"Oh, come off it, Severus. I know perfectly well that you're the Head of Slytherin House. You didn't want to punish that boy because you didn't want your House to lose points. I'm surprised the headmaster lets you get away with such obvious favoritism." At that moment she saw Snape's eyes turn dangerous, so she turned back to the door. She was stopped, however, as he grabbed her upper arm so roughly that his fingers dug into her muscle painfully. "Ouch! Severus!"

"You listen to me, Jenova," he said, leaning so close to her that a strand of his black hair brushed against her face, "Just because you have been a teacher here one day does not mean that you can propose to tell me how to run my own House. And I will thank you to remember who brought you here in the first place." Snape released her arm, pushing her backwards at the same time, and Jenova watched as he pushed open the doors to the Great Hall so forcefully that it seemed they were made of screen instead of heavy wood, rubbing her arm.

"Touchy," she grumbled, following him into the Great Hall. What the hell was his problem, anyway?


	5. A Small Problem

A Small Problem

The problem with translating a language that hadn't been read in thousands of years, Jenova reflected as she threw another broken quill into the trash beside her desk, was that you had to break the damn code before you could translate it. Unfortunately, she was having trouble figuring out which verb she was trying to conjugate in the first place.

"As soon as I translate this stupid thing," she swore to her birds, who were picking their way across her desk, "I am going to write a book on how to translate this stupid language. Once I name it. Jenovese, maybe?"

There was a knock on her office door, causing Jenova to hurriedly transfigure the pages of the book she had been working on into an attractive vase before pulling a stack of papers onto the center of the desk and looking up.

"Come in," she said absently, as if she wasn't doing anything illicit at all. Much to her surprise, it was Snape, whom she hadn't really spoken to since he had bruised her arm the week before. "I wasn't expecting to see you."

"Minerva was concerned because you weren't at dinner," he said, as if he resented even being in her doorway. "I said that I would check your office since I wanted to ask you for something anyhow."

"What? You want something from _me_? When did Hell freeze over?" Standing up, she picked up Piama and stroked her beak.

"Those birds are of the genus _Agapornis_, unless I am mistaken," Snape said, ignoring her sarcasm. "I have been working on a potion that requires a small amount of their down feathers and thought it easiest to get them fresh."

"I suppose a simple forced molt would do the trick. Which bird was it? _Agapornis personata_ or _Agapornis roseicollis_?" Jenova picked up her wand and held up Piama. As she did, Valtier dove down hawk-like to land on Snape's head. His lips tightened as he reached up and closed the small bird firmly in his hand so that only its head was sticking out. "Ah. Yes. The _personata_ species is somewhat protective of the one it perceives to be the flock leader."

"I didn't come in here for an ornithology lecture," Snape said, dropping Valtier on the desk unceremoniously. "Either bird will do. The instructions don't specify a species."

"Fine." Setting Piama on the desk beside her friend, Jenova took out her wand and pointed it at them. "_Plumeus Depilare_." Instantly, Jenova's birds became much smaller as their down feathers fell into neat piles around their feet. Still pointing her wand at them, she smiled. "_Plumeus Abundare_." The birds were refeathered in the blink of an eye and looked at one another to try and figure out what had happened to them. Meanwhile, Jenova scooped the feathers into a small glass bottle and corked it. "There. That should be more than enough."

"They will keep." Nodding at her, Snape started out of her office and Jenova frowned after him.

"Hey." Her voice made him turn around again to see her looking annoyed. "Don't you ever say thank you? I mean, I did just defrock my birds for you. I could have made you go down to Hogsmeade and get feathers, you know."

"Thank you," Snape said, sounding as if he were doing so under great duress. "Am I allowed to go now, or was there another lecture you wanted to favor me with?"

"You don't always have to be so hostile," Jenova said, loading her birds into their cage and closing the door. "This is probably why you don't have any friends." She picked up a book and walked out the door in front of him, then turned back. "Well, are you coming or what?"

"Coming? Where?"

"The faculty tower. I thought the least you could do was walk with me up there. You were headed that direction anyway, weren't you?" There was no reply as he started to walk with her, and Jenova shook her head. "You see? This is precisely the attitude I'm talking about. It doesn't hurt to make small talk."

"I despise small talk."

"Why am I not surprised?"

* * *

Several weeks passed uneventfully this way, and by the beginning of October, Snape had decided that the best course of action was to just ignore Jenova as best he could whenever she decided to follow him around. Somewhere, she had gotten the idea that they were slowly becoming friends and he didn't feel like expending the energy to tell her otherwise.

"Could you pass me the kippers, please, Severus?" Jenova smiled at him from the seat beside him that she had claimed as her own. Silently, he handed her the plate and she piled two of the little critters onto her plate. "Thank you. I feel like I'm going to need my strength today…I'm handing back exams."

"I told you they were all idiots," he replied matter-of-factly. "You should have just listened to me when you had the chance."

"And I suppose that you were never a student?" Amused, Jenova began to cut her kipper into small pieces. 

"No, I was never an idiot. There's a difference."

"Is that so."

"What exactly do you mean by…"

"Oh, look, the morning mail." Jenova looked up into the air, where owls had begun to fill the room, dropping letters and packages to the students at their tables. This in itself was nothing new, as it had been happening since she arrived. What was different about this morning, however, was that an owl dropped a rolled up newspaper in front of her plate. "That's interesting. I didn't order the paper. Probably a mistake."

"Let me see that," Snape said, snatching it from her hands before she could even untie the twine that held it together. "Haven't you been around here long enough to know that there are no mistakes?" He unrolled it and scanned the front page quickly, then stood up and slipped it under his arm. "I shall return it later."

"Wait a minute, that's mine!" Jenova started to stand up, then looked back at the other teachers as she settled back into her seat. "Well, if he wanted to borrow it, all he had to do was ask," she said with a small laugh in Professor Sinistra's direction. Inside, she was fuming. How _dare_ he?

Over at the Gryffindor table, Hermione was reading her own copy of the purloined paper while Ron and Harry discussed Quidditch. Noticing that she was unusually quiet, Ron looked over at the paper.

"Something interesting?"

"No, not really. Another disappearance or two that the Ministry refuses to connect with Voldemort. According to this article, a young woman was found in Amsterdam that appeared to have been killed using one of the Unforgivable curses. They didn't give her name, but they said that her traveling companion has been missing for more than a month now and is presumed to be dead as well."

"Creepy," Ginny said softly.

"Why doesn't the Ministry just admit they were wrong and help Dumbledore fight Voldemort?" Ron shook his head with annoyance and Harry frowned.

"Politics," he said quietly. "Who would want to support a Ministry that knowingly denied the truth and allowed innocent people to die?" The small group around the table was quiet for a moment, then Hermione stood up.

"Well, I'm going to be late for class if I don't get going. Professor Verdana's handing back our exams and I want to see if I got the extra credit." She picked up her bag and her paper. "See you later."

"Yeah." Harry looked as if something was bothering him, but he got up and followed Ron to Divination. There was something about that article that had seemed strange. Maybe he'd borrow the paper later.

* * *

Groups of students were rushing past Jenova toward the Great Hall for dinner, but she continued to walk against the tide toward the entrance to the dungeons. All day long she had been trying to get back her newspaper with no success, but this time she wasn't going to be put off, even if she had to trap him in his office and steal her paper back.

The dungeons were empty, and Jenova looked around cautiously before heading for Snape's office. The door was closed as usual, but she could hear voices coming from behind the thick wood. Leaning closer to the door, she frowned. It sounded like Snape and McGonagall, but she could barely hear what they were talking about. Mouthing an Amplification Charm, she pressed her ear to the door to hear the end of the conversation.

"…impossible to know for sure, Severus."

"You know as well as I that this was no accident, Minerva. We shall have to remain on our guard longer now."

"Albus must know about this," McGonagall's voice said, coming closer to the door. "Have you shown it to him yet?" From inside the office, Jenova could hear footsteps advancing and she ducked into the empty Potions classroom just in time before they came out of the office.

Waiting for their footsteps to disappear up the stairs, Jenova sat on an empty desk. What were they talking about? Did he think that someone was coming after her? If that was true, why didn't he just tell her so? Peeking out the door, she saw that they were gone and went back to the office door, which was now closed.

Thinking that it would be very unlikely for him not to have locked his door, Jenova took out her wand and pointed it at the knob.

"_Finite Incantatem_," she murmured softly, listening for the clicking of the lock. It was barely audible, but she heard it and pushed gently on the door until it opened. Smiling to herself, Jenova looked around to make sure no one was watching before going inside and pushing the door closed. She was so busy trying to be sneaky that she didn't notice the spindly brown cat walking primly up the stairs after the teachers.

The inside of his office was cold and felt a little damp, but Jenova held herself back from lighting a fire in the dark fireplace. She didn't want him to know she had been in here looking for her paper. Normally, she wouldn't have been so concerned over a newspaper, but it seemed like Snape was going through a lot of trouble to keep her from reading it. What was in it that he was trying to keep from her?

Carefully rifling through the papers on his desk as her eyes darted toward the door, Jenova found herself getting more and more impatient. Nothing here but a bunch of failing papers. Picking one up, she looked at it. Why had he taken points off of this one? She put the paper back where it had been on the desk and looked around the room. He had probably taken it with him to show Dumbledore.

Feeling a little like an idiot, Jenova rubbed her forehead. Maybe one of the other teachers had a copy of the newspaper that she could borrow. She was not expecting to have a wand pointed at her face when she stepped out of the office.

"Hey, watch it!" Following the length of the wand, she felt her stomach slide into her knees as she saw who was holding it. Trying her best to smile, she put her hand over the end of the wand. "Oh…hello, Severus."

"Just what do you think you're doing in here?" Putting away his wand, Snape narrowed his eyes at her. "I should have known it would be you."

"I…uh, was looking for uh…" Suddenly all coherent speech was failing her and she felt her cheeks getting very hot. As if he had read her mind, Snape held up the newspaper. "Yes, that."

"Here. You wanted it badly enough to break into my office, take it." Jenova stared at the paper, not really wanting it quite so badly anymore. "Take it," he growled, tossing it at her and pushing his way into the office. "And get out of my office." 

"I…I'm sorry I…"

"Just get out." Snape turned his back on her, leaving Jenova to hurry out of his office and back up to her room. As soon as his door closed, Snape sighed deeply. That girl didn't know how much trouble she was getting herself into.

Without warning, a familiar burning began creeping its way up Snape's arm and he reached over to clutch his forearm tightly. Right on schedule. He had been expecting this all day.

* * *

Back in her own office, Jenova unfolded the paper. Why did he have to be so mean all the time? He acted like it was her fault he took her paper. All she wanted was to see what he and McGonagall were…

Jenova's eyes fell on the article Hermione had been reading to Ron and Harry earlier, and anything else she might have been concerned about flew out of her mind. Even though it didn't specifically name her or Serafina, she knew that it was about her. Immediately, she saw what Snape and McGonagall had been concerned about. Someone knew that she would be here to read it. 

Picking up the vase from the corner of the desk, Jenova turned it over in her hands. Usually she kept it on her person, but she had been working on it today. Waving her wand over it slowly, she transfigured it back to the sheaf of papers she had been leaning over when Snape interrupted her to get the bird feathers.

When the Death Eaters had caught her in the alley, they had taken the book from her, undoubtedly to give it to Voldemort. But what they hadn't realized, to Jenova's relief, was that she had torn out a handful of pages from the end of the book and transfigured them into a coin that she had been able to slip into her shoe. Originally, she had intended to burn them as soon as she got to Hogwarts, but that was before she had started to translate them and realized…

The door to her office was opening slowly, and Jenova quickly transfigured the papers into the Muggle coin again and stuck it in the pocket of her robe. Valtier and Piama jumped out of their sleeping tent and began hopping up and down madly, shrieking at the top of their tiny lungs like the watchbirds they were.

Snape walked in, giving the birds a disdainful look as he passed their cage, and stopped in front of Jenova's desk. Still extremely annoyed with him about his earlier behavior, Jenova gave him an icy look.

"Why are you here?"

"There is a matter of some importance I need to speak to you about," he began, keeping his voice low. "You…"

"_Excuse_ me," Jenova said, rising slowly from her chair. Her voice was brittle with its chill as she narrowed her eyes at Snape. "Who exactly do you think you are? You walk around here like everyone in the castle owes you something, you order me out of your office like I'm one of your students and then you have the nerve to walk in here and say you have to talk to me like I'm just going to hang on your every word?" Snape looked as if he was about to say something, but Jenova grabbed the handle of her birdcage and stormed around the desk. "Don't hold your breath."

Before he was totally sure what had just happened, the door slammed behind Jenova and he was left standing in front of her desk, staring at the back of the door where her 'Magical Birds of England' calendar was hanging. A Jobberknoll darted through the page for October as Snape curled his hands into fists, ignoring the steady throbbing pain in his arm. Hang on his every word? She was going to be lucky if he didn't curse her birds into next term.

As he walked back down the stairs to his office, Snape shifted his eyes in the general direction of the faculty tower. She'd find out tomorrow whether she liked it or not, anyway. It was the last time he tried to be nice to her, that was for sure.


	6. The Substitute

The Substitute

The next morning, when Snape wasn't at breakfast, Jenova couldn't help smiling a little with satisfaction. Maybe now he'd see how he liked it.

"Excuse me, Jenova," Dumbledore said, standing up from his place at the table. "Could I speak to you for a moment privately?"

"Of course, headmaster," Jenova said, pushing away her plate. "Is something the matter?" She followed him out to the hallway, then down the hall to the entrance to the dungeons. "Headmaster?"

"It seems that Severus is going to be unable to attend his lessons today," Dumbledore said, pushing open the door to the Potions classroom. "And he requested that I ask if you would mind filling in for the day."

"Me?"

"Yes. He was quite insistent that you take the job."

"But what about my own classes?" Flushed with the knowledge that Snape had actually recommended her to teach his Potions lesson, Jenova wasn't sure what she should say. "I mean, my students have an assignment to hand in and…"

"Professor Sinistra has already agreed to teach your lessons today. Being that you are both teaching upper level classes, the schedule will work out quite nicely. Do you have any questions?" His eyes twinkling, Dumbledore looked down at Jenova, who was already rifling through Snape's papers, trying to figure out what she was supposed to be teaching the class.

"Yes, just one. Where did Severus go?"

"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to discuss that topic," said Dumbledore, his eyes becoming quite serious. "Perhaps it is best if you ask him yourself when he returns. I'm sure he will be coming to you for a full report on what transpired in class."

"Yes, sir." Jenova watched the headmaster leave the room, then looked around at the empty chairs. It wasn't like Snape to miss class…she had only known him a few months and she knew that much. And he wanted _her_ to fill in? 

Something suddenly clicked in Jenova's mind, and she started out of the room to pick up Valtier and Piama. This was probably what he was trying to tell her the night before when she walked out on him.

When she returned, most of her class had already filled their seats and she surveyed the room quickly. Slytherins and Gryffindors, she knew that at first glance, but it wasn't until she spotted Hermione that she realized that it was the fifth year students.

"All right, then, settle down," she said as she walked up to the podium and put her bird cage down. "As I'm sure you have already guessed, I am not Professor Snape. He is unavailable today, so I will be teaching your lesson. Some of you may already know me," Jenova said, smiling at Hermione warmly. "I am Professor Verdana, and I dare say that I know almost as much about Potions as Professor Snape does, so don't be afraid to ask me any questions."

"That's a change for this class," Ron mumbled under his breath, and Jenova turned on him.

"Yes? Was there something you wanted to say, Mr. Weasley?"

"No, ma'am," he said, turning red. 

"Very well then. I see from these papers that you have been studying Sealing Solutions, so I suppose a quick review is in order before we move on to the actual potion making." Looking around the room, she smiled. "Who in here would like to tell me why we would need to use a Sealing Solution?" No one made a move to answer, and she pointed at Neville. "Can you tell me, Mr. Longbottom?" 

"M-me?" Neville looked around, just in case there might be another Mr. Longbottom hiding in the room, and a muffled laugh went through the Slytherin half of the class.

"Quiet," Jenova said sharply, looking in their direction. "Let him answer."

"To uh…to seal something?" Neville looked warily at her, as if she was about to bite his head off, and Jenova nodded.

"Mr. Longbottom is correct," she said with a smile. "Two points for Gryffindor. Now, can someone please explain why one would use a Sealing Solution over a Sealing Charm." Shifting her eyes over to where Malfoy and his compatriots were whispering to one another, she smiled. "Mr. Crabbe?"

"Uh…uh…" Crabbe looked up, shocked that she had called on him. Instantly, Hermione's voice piped up from the other side of the room.

"Because in some instances, the use of a charm wouldn't exactly be prudent. Also, a charm could be broken by a wizard who knew the counter charm while the antagonist for a solution would require time to make up." Sounding as though she was reciting her lines, Hermione smiled up at Jenova.

"That is correct, Miss Granger, but I would prefer if you would wait until you are called upon to speak." Striding across the room, Jenova folded her arms behind her back. "Now that we are clear on the general purpose and use of a Sealing Solution, it falls to all of you to create one of your own." She motioned to the blackboard, where she had already written the necessary ingredients for the potion. "Please prepare your ingredients and begin brewing your potions. I will come around and check them as you do so." Looking out the window, Jenova saw that it looked like it was about to rain. It would probably be a good idea to go set up the cauldron so she could distill some of the water for potion making. "If you'll excuse me, class, I will be right back."

As soon as she was gone, the class began to talk amongst themselves. Neville had the best things to say about her, since he had never even spoken in Potions class before, but Hermione looked a little miffed.

"You're just mad because she wasn't in love with your answer," Ron said, carefully sectioning off his moss rose leaves. "She's more like McGonagall, that one."

"Well it was obvious that Crabbe wasn't going to answer," Hermione said, sounding put out as she checked the temperature of her cauldron. "I thought I was doing her a favor."

Jenova returned just as the class was beginning to add their ingredients to the cauldrons, and she made a quick pass through the desks on her way up to her podium. Upon passing Neville, she frowned into the cauldron.

"Is it…supposed to be that pink?" Neville's voice was tiny as Jenova ladled some of the potion out and examined it carefully.

"Pink. No, it's not supposed to be pink at all. Exactly how many ingredients did you add already?"

"Just one. I'm sorry." Neville looked as if he were about to burst into tears. "I…It's just that I'm so bad at this…"

"Oh, stop that." Shaking her head, Jenova sat across from him and cleared out his cauldron with a wave of her wand. "Now, let's take this one step at a time and see if we can't figure out what you did wrong." She looked over the ingredients that were scattered across his table and smiled. "Now, first things first. What temperature did you heat your water to before you began?"

"I'm…not sure. It was boiling…"

"Now there's part of your problem. The water was a bit too hot. Now, if you just…" Behind her back, Jenova could hear whispering from the other side of the room and snapped her fingers as she pointed at Malfoy. "Your mind should be on your own potion, Mr. Malfoy," she said without even turning around. 

It was silent for a few moments before Jenova heard something that sounded distinctly like someone mumbling something about 'if Professor Snape were here,' and she felt what was left of her temper quickly draining away.

"Yes, I'm aware of how Professor Snape usually deals with you," she said, standing up and walking over to Malfoy's desk with her arms folded. "However, I'll let you in on a little secret. He's not here today. I am. And I will not tolerate that sort of rudeness in my class. This is your warning, Mr. Malfoy." Jenova turned to go back and check on Neville again, but was interrupted by a voice that this time made no attempt to disguise itself.

"But it's _not_ your class, is it?" The room was as silent as a morgue as Jenova turned slowly to look at Malfoy with eyes whose fierceness rivaled those of a hippogriff.

"At the moment it is. And at this moment I am giving you a detention and taking ten points from Slytherin. I might also remind you, Mr. Malfoy, that your head of house is out at the moment and the headmaster might not be as forgiving of you when I take you to speak to him." There was no reply to this from Malfoy, who gave her the most hateful look he could muster. Turning back to Neville, the smile returned to Jenova's face as she stood over his cauldron. "Now. Where were we?"

* * *

Later that evening, Jenova was dragging herself up the stairs to Dumbledore's office as she rubbed her temples as hard as she dared. This was insanity. No wonder he had told her she would need all her strength. It was as if his classes were out to get her.

With her hand on the doorknob, she was just about to open it when she could hear Dumbledore speaking to someone inside. Not wanting to overhear someone else's conversation, she started to turn away but stopped again as she heard Snape's voice replying. Feeling a small sense of déjà vu, she leaned against the door, wondering when he had gotten back.

"…know that she is alive, and that she is here. The owl was sent with orders to give the paper only to her, so…" His voice became softer, as if he was moving away from the door, and Jenova bit her lip as she pressed her ear harder to the wood. "…beginning to wonder if it is prudent to continue keeping her here. It could put the students, and indeed all of us, in danger."

"There is some truth in what you suggest," agreed Dumbledore. "But why is it so important for them to find her? It cannot be simply because she escaped their grasp."

"It seems that there were some pages missing from the end of the book," Snape said, and Jenova felt herself grow very cold. "Pages that may or may not have an impact on whether or not this book is even valuable to the Death Eaters." Having heard enough, Jenova turned away from the door and started down the stairs.

So she was right. They knew she was here, and that she had the pages. She hadn't expected them _not_ to notice, but it seemed like it was beginning sooner than she had thought it would. Walking slowly back toward the faculty tower, she ran her fingers along the cold stone wall of the castle, savoring for a moment the roughness of the bricks against her fingertips.

Unlocking the room of her door, she closed it behind her and went to the tall, circular cage she kept Piama and Valtier in when they were in her room. Their door was open, and she reached inside to pick them both up in one hand. One of her favorite songs came into her head, and she sat on the bed with them.

"_Tonight I'm so tired of trying. Tonight I'm so tired of being alone. I can't sleep. I can't think. I can't be what they need. I need someone to hold me. I need someone who knows me…*_" Softly, she sang the words to the tiny bodies, who snuggled against her cupped palms as tears began to well up in her eyes. There was a knock on her door that stopped her abruptly and sent her arm brushing the tears from her eyes. "Yes? Who is it?"

"It's me," Snape's familiar voice said to her, and she sighed. Did she really have the strength to talk to him tonight?

"Come in," she said, returning her birds to their cage. The door opened slowly, and she walked over to greet him. "I see you've returned."

"Yes. I trust that lessons went well in my absence?"

"As well as could be expected, I suppose." Going over to the desk in her room, Jenova picked up the notes she had made during classes. "Gave several detentions and pretty much killed the first year students' good impression of me." She held them out to him, and noticed that he reached for them with his left hand instead of his right. "Is something wrong with your arm?"

"It's not important," Snape said curtly, pulling his right arm further into his black robes, and Jenova shook her head. 

"That's not what I asked. Let me see it." She held out a hand, but he only looked at her as if he hadn't heard. "My God, Severus, you're acting just like one of the children." Reaching over, she grabbed his arm and pushed up the sleeve despite his efforts to pull away. "Stop that."

"I don't need your help."

"You never do." Jenova frowned as she saw a large, ugly burn just above his wrist. Snape's pale skin only served to make the bright red burn look worse than it was, and she looked back up at him. "What happened here?"

"I really don't think that's any of your business." Snape tried once again to pull away from her, but Jenova was stronger than she looked.

"Fine, don't tell me. But I can't just let you leave it like this." Conjuring up a small first aid kit, she dragged him over to the comfy chair she had put in front of her fireplace, where a small blaze was already crackling away. "Sit down, please." Deciding it was easier to indulge her than spend the rest of the night arguing with her, Snape did as she asked, and Jenova knelt on the rug in front of him, holding his arm.

"This is really very unnecessary," he began, but Jenova shook her head.

"Just be quiet and let me work." Unscrewing the lid of a brownish tinted ointment, she examined the burn closely. "I think it's not too bad. Just a superficial one. I'll just wrap it up and put some of this ointment on it." Gently pressing on the burn, she looked up. "Does this hurt?" There was no response, as Snape was being as stoic as ever, and she sighed. "It's like talking to a brick wall," Jenova grumbled under her breath, dipping her fingertips into the jar.

Very lightly, she began to smooth the ointment over the burn on his arm, keeping her eyes on her work so she wouldn't have to try and talk to him. Her touch was extremely light, and the firelight flickered on her profile as Snape tried to endure her just long enough for her to release his arm.

"Severus? Where did you go today?" Moving on from the ointment to the bandages, Jenova took a moment to look up at him, asking the question that had been on her mind most of the day.

"I hope you'll understand if I tell you I don't want to discuss it," Snape said, watching her tie the end of the bandage in a knot. As soon as she let go of his arm, he stood up and pulled his sleeve down over it as Jenova's eyes searched his face. "It's really much better if you don't get into it."

"Does it have something to do with You-Know-Who?" Her eyes tried to meet his gaze, but he was quite adept at avoiding her.

"I said I don't want to discuss it." Snape headed directly for the door, and Jenova pushed herself off the rug and grabbed her notes from class.

"Don't forget these," she said, holding the parchment out as a sort of olive branch. "We…covered a lot of material in today's lessons." Giving her a look that said he knew what she was trying to do, Snape grabbed the papers out of Jenova's hand and narrowed his eyes at her.

"You shouldn't listen at doors," he said simply, opening her door and stepping out into the hallway. "Good night, Jenova."

"Um, good night." She watched as he closed the door behind him, then wrapped her arms around herself. Despite the fire, she was feeling quite cold.

Voldemort knew where she was.

She had to hurry.

__

* Song Lyrics are Copyright of Laura Dawn, 2002


End file.
